Seeking Refuge

Poetry from Ruth O’Callaghan’s Lumen and Camden annual open mic seasons in aid of London Cold Weather Shelter for the homeless, supported by Andrew Motion.

This is real poetry with a real purpose – accessible, entertaining, varied and able to make a difference. Seeking Refuge is both a great way to get into poetry and a fantastic way to support an essential charity housing London’s homeless.

Each year Ruth O’Callaghan, poet, mentor and poetry organiser, hosts a series of readings in venues in central London and Camden showcasing the best in contemporary poetry, together with open mic slots for a large range of new and established poets. The best of these poems are selected for an annual anthology, which also features contributions from nationally acclaimed poets. This year’s anthology includes work by Fiona Sampson, Andrew Motion and Penelope Shuttle.

Jan Fortune-Wood is commissioning editor for Cinnamon Press, a family-run small press publishing fiction and poetry and innovative non-fiction. She has written three novels, one for teenagers, and two collections of poetry, including a novelised sequence of prose poetry about being ordained priest at the first ordination of women in the Church of England.